Houses given to women in need

IN celebration of Women’s Month, Msunduzi Municipality Mayor Themba Njilo handed over five houses to five women at Edendale Crossing last Thursday. The housing project was initiated by Njilo through the Themba Njilo Foundation before he became the mayor.

Speaking to Echo, Njilo said the project was initiated last year and that they are yet to build 17 more houses for families in need in the area.

He said it is his duty to make sure that people have proper houses to live in.

“This is a heart -warming moment for me to hand over these houses to the people in need. The people who benefitted from this project are the people who really needed houses. I went all over scouting for people. I did the profiling myself because I wanted to make sure that the people who get houses here are the ones who really need them. Beneficiaries really had nothing.

“This is not the end of the is project because we will be building 17 more houses in this site. I have asked Minister of Human Settlement Ravi Pillay for assistance and he said they will assist with 17 houses that are going to be built.We already have people on the list that will benefit from it.

“This project is not going to stop here. I have consulted with Amakhosi to give me land so that I can build more houses for our people,” he said.

Bongiwe Kasibe (46), who is one of the beneficiaries, told Echo that she is very grateful to the mayor and everyone who contributed to having these houses built.

“I was living in a one room house with my 14-year-old daughter. The house did not even have a toilet. Since I am in wheelchair, whenever I needed to go to the toilet I had to wait for my daughter to come back from school because I could not go by myself. This house will bring a lot of change. I do not have to wait for my daughter to come back from school before I can do anything,” she said.

Another beneficiary, Lindiwe Magwaza, said she is very happy that she will finally live in a decent house.

“I lived in fear everyday because of the state of the house I was living in. Whenever it was raining, the rain was pouring inside the house. I am very thankful to Mayor Njilo and his team and everyone who contributed in this project,” she said.